Standing atop his clay bird, Deidara glanced down at Chiyo and Baki, who were fighting Sasori.
"I won't allow anyone to interfere with my art—hmph!"
The moment Deidara finished speaking, the clay bombs buried underground began to detonate.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"This is bad!"
Rorin and Gaara both looked down. Explosions erupted along the edges of Tenchi Bridge, smoke and fire billowing everywhere.
At the center of the blasts, Chiyo and Baki dodged in all directions. Since they had already learned about the bomb locations from Hyūga Neji beforehand, they managed to avoid serious injury.
Sasori, who was also on the ground, had already withdrawn from the blast zone in advance, glancing up at Deidara in the sky.
Suddenly, a blade of wind slashed toward Sasori. Caught off guard, he was struck.
Fragments of Hiruko shattered and scattered across the ground, revealing Sasori's true body from behind.
"It's been over twenty years… let's properly catch up," Chiyo said calmly.
Sasori slowly turned around, removing his cloak to reveal his true face.
Chiyo froze when she saw him. She hadn't expected her grandson to still look so young.
"What is this…? You haven't changed at all."
She muttered, her eyes dull with disbelief.
"It's been a long time,. What's wrong? Too emotional to speak?" Sasori said indifferently.
"In that case, let me show you one of my favorite collections. Killing him took quite some effort. As a reunion gift, it couldn't be more fitting. Heh."
With a faint smile, Sasori slowly unfurled a scroll with one hand. On it was the character "Three."
A cloud of dust dispersed—and the Third Kazekage puppet appeared.
The moment Baki saw it, he froze. He hadn't expected that the long-missing Third Kazekage had already been killed by Sasori and turned into a puppet.
Chiyo's gaze grew heavy. "I never imagined the Third Kazekage died at your hands."
"So what? Are you planning to avenge him? With that frail body of yours?" Sasori sneered.
"Even if this body is already worn and broken, before I die, I still want to see my dear grandson… to fulfill that wish, and guide you back to the right path," Chiyo said slowly.
"The right path? I don't think I've strayed at all," Sasori replied flatly.
With that, he controlled the Third Kazekage puppet and launched an attack on Chiyo.
Chiyo summoned her Father and Mother puppets to face him.
...
Back in the sky, Rorin exchanged a glance with Gaara before attacking Deidara again.
Deidara tilted slightly atop his bird and threw out a C3.
Boom!
Rorin used Flying Thunder God to evade the explosion, his expression turning slightly strange as he looked at Deidara. Something felt off.
But he didn't dwell on it. He had to end this battle quickly.
He released the restrictions on his chakra.
Eight Gates—Gate of Wonder, open!
Rising Dragon!
A dragon-shaped hurricane surged toward Deidara. Even from atop his bird, Deidara sensed danger as the fierce winds sliced into him.
"Damn it!" he snarled, then unwillingly shut his eyes.
Nearby, Gaara remained on guard, watching intently for any sign of Deidara escaping the storm.
After some time, Rorin dispersed the hurricane.
Deidara's body began to fall.
"Gaara, I'll leave it to you!" Rorin shouted.
"Understood," Gaara replied calmly, clenching his right hand.
Sand Coffin!
Sand gathered rapidly around Deidara, wrapping tightly around his body.
On the ground, Sasori glanced up at the sky, then looked back at Chiyo and said quietly,
"Farewell."
Meanwhile, inside the sand, Deidara's consciousness gradually returned. He looked around and smiled calmly.
"Heh… everything's going smoothly. Now comes the true art of explosion."
He pulled open his clothing, and the mouth on his left chest began chewing clay.
C0—Ultimate Art!
Outside, Rorin stared at the now motionless Deidara within the sand. A sudden sense of unease rose in his chest.
Inside the sand mass, Deidara's body began turning black.
"Hahaha!" he laughed maniacally.
"Don't tell me—" Rorin suddenly realized something. He instantly appeared beside Gaara, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Gaara, something's wrong. We need to retreat—now!" Rorin said urgently.
"What?" Gaara was confused, not understanding Rorin's sudden panic.
"No time to explain!"
As soon as he spoke, Rorin used Flying Thunder God to teleport both of them away from Tenchi Bridge.
Sasori didn't notice their departure. His task now was simply to hold Chiyo and Baki in place.
Inside the sand, Deidara reveled in the moment.
"This… this is my art! Hmph!"
His body continued turning black as his chakra condensed into a dark sphere—on the verge of exploding.
A white light began to flash across the sky.
Chiyo and Baki noticed the abnormal change above and immediately tried to retreat, but Sasori blocked their path.
"Sasori! What are you doing? Aren't you afraid of being caught in it?" Chiyo demanded. She couldn't understand—was he planning to perish together with them?
Sasori said nothing, simply controlling his puppets to attack and prevent their escape.
At last—Deidara exploded.
Boom!
The explosion ravaged everything within a ten-mile radius.
On the other side, Team 7, who had been pursuing Orochimaru, suddenly stopped and looked toward the source of the blast.
All three were shocked.
"That's where Gaara and the others are!" Naruto clenched his fists, his voice tense.
Kakashi also looked on with concern. He reached into his clothing and took out a bone, gripping it tightly as he silently prayed:
Don't let anything happen to you… Rorin.
Meanwhile, Rorin and Gaara reappeared in another dense forest, both staring at the distant explosion.
"Baki… Chiyo…" Gaara murmured with concern.
Rorin looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry, Gaara. The situation was too urgent—I could only get you out. As for the others…"
Gaara shook his head. "No need to apologize. Without you, I'd probably be caught in it too. I didn't expect that guy to have a jutsu with such terrifying power."
Rorin nodded, deep in thought.
That should've been Deidara's C0—Ultimate Art… but why?